


Brand New

by useyernamesteven



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of past abuse, Shadow Weaver (mentioned) - Freeform, Slow Burn, basically everyone makes an appearance - Freeform, let these kids be kids dammit!, post season continuation, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-08-29 14:39:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/useyernamesteven/pseuds/useyernamesteven
Summary: you take me right back when we were kids, never thought i'd feel like thislike a heartbeat skip, like an open page, like a one way trip on an aeroplaneit's the way that i feel when i'm with you...brand new(or a series of one-shots, of varying length, about these two dorks slowly falling in love)





	1. Catnip

**Author's Note:**

> And all it'd take was a cute little gay cartoon to get me writing again. Go figure. Ah well.  
> I just really wanted a fix-it fic where Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta all get redemption arcs and everyone's friends (and falling in love). Let these kids just relax, god dammit! No beta so all mistakes are mine because I'm too tired to look back through this. Anyway, more notes at the end. Have at it!

_Catra fought to move her feet, her hands, her lungs, anything… but Shadow Weaver loomed above her, paralyzing her limbs and closing her talons around Catra’s throat. Specks of black began to darken her vision as she struggled to breathe._

_“You are nothing,” Shadow Weaver hissed, hoisting Catra into the air just enough for only her claws to scrabble against the ground, “but a waste of my time and energy! I only ever kept you around because Adora was fond of you. Useless vermin! But now that Adora is gone, I have no use of you!”_

_Shadow Weaver squeezed once more before tossing Catra over a cliff’s edge and the darkness surrounded her._

“NO!”

Catra woke up just as she was falling out of bed, her arms and legs twisted up in too nice of sheets. She fought to free herself, resorting to unsheathing her claws and tearing the bedding to shreds.

She gulped in air as she quickly took stock of her surroundings, the haze of sleep fading as her mind began to play catch-up.

_Not the Fright Zone. You’re in Bright Moon. Shadow Weaver and Hordak were defeated. They can’t hurt you anymore… they can’t hurt you anymore…_

Whether it was a few minutes or a few hours Catra couldn’t be sure, but she did eventually manage to slow her breathing down and calm her racing heart. She glanced around her empty room until she spotted the windowsill beyond her bed, the light from the moon making the glass glow an almost ethereal blue. Catra leapt onto the sill and stared out at the quiet kingdom, mindlessly tugging on her torn ear as she thought back on the past few weeks.

It seemed like a lifetime had passed since the day Adora and her had snuck out after training with a ~~stolen~~ borrowed skiff and had nearly crashed it in the Whispering Woods. And then Adora had found her sword, some new friends, and a magical destiny, leaving everything she once knew and trusted behind. Including Catra.

Catra had been beside herself after Adora’s defection from the Horde. Like, was her best friend crazy, thinking she could actually stand up against the Horde with a rag tag team of princesses? Catra had raged at her best friend’s betrayal, but really what she felt most was hurt. And loneliness.

She just wanted Adora to come home.

But deep down she knew that Adora had the right idea. The Horde was doing awful things to Etheria, even to it’s own people living in the Fright Zone (Catra had plenty of physical and emotional scars to attest to that). But she also knew that a little rebellion wasn’t going to be enough to take on a highly trained and weaponized army. So what was she to do?

And then along came Scorpia, the forgotten princess of the lost Kingdom of Solace, now known as the Fright Zone and ruled by Hordak. An idea, albeit a crazy stupid one, had begun to form in Catra’s scheming mind. An idea that if, maybe, she were to carry out Shadow Weaver’s bidding while also thwarting her missions to get Adora back, then she could slowly rise through the ranks to Commander, removing Shadow Weaver from power and getting Hordak to trust her. Meanwhile, Scorpia would be behind the scenes beginning the revolution from within the Horde army, starting with both their squadrons and working their way out. And once they finally had enough people behind them, they’d overthrow Hordak, get rid of the Horde, and the Kingdom of Solace would be returned to Scorpia to rule as it’s rightful princess.

And the best part about this crazy stupid idea was that no one had to seriously get hurt. Not Scorpia, not Kyle or Lohnie or Rogelio. Not even Adora. When, and if, they managed to get rid of Hordak, she was certain Adora would realize what Catra had done for her; how Catra was still looking out for her in the end. She was going to keep her promise, even if Adora couldn’t.

But, it had all been a mere idea, a barely held together notion. Until Entrapta abruptly tumbled into their little duo. And then the duo became a trio. And the idea became a _plan._

A crazy stupid, if they got caught they’d all be executed, plan.

But it had worked… sort of.

Catra had taken out Shadow Weaver after she disobeyed Hordak’s orders. Entrapta had amplified the power of the Black Garnet tenfold, but Catra still needed the final push to win Hordak over. So she staged the invasion on Bright Moon, the army consisting primarily of the Horde soldiers Scorpia had recruited for the revolution.

Seeing Adora again, beaten and angry at  _her_ , had been a punch to the gut. But fighting Adora had been like a sword to her heart.

Because she couldn’t have just told her ~~ex~~ best friend what she was really up to. Adora would have told her to stop or worse, played the hero. _Again_. But Catra was going to prove to Adora, to everyone, and to herself, that she wasn’t just Adora’s lacky or plaything. That she was just as strong, and powerful, and brave without Adora’s help.

They returned defeated, but victory was just within Catra’s claws when Hordak promoted her to Second in Command.

The plan had worked… until Hordak double-crossed her and ordered an attack on their very own soldiers. Someone had to have ratted them out, because one moment Catra’s getting herself ready for a mutiny, and the next they’re running. They’re small revolution had crumbled before it had even really begun.

In the end, only a handful of them had made it out of the Fright Zone and to the Whispering Woods. Lohnie, Rogelio, surprisingly Kyle, Jox, Gurgle, Yaz, Mantenna, Rattlor, Wen, Bronwyn, Entrapta, Scorpia, and herself; all injured, all shaken, all mourning for their fellow fallen brethren, for the home they had lost. From there they made the painful trek up to Bright Moon where they were greeted with less than open arms.

It was Entrapta who had saved them from being slaughtered on sight. The princess had been greeted with tears and hugs, much to Catra, Scorpia, and even Entrapta’s immense confusion. Apparently they had all thought she was dead. Entrapta was able to convince the princess alliance to withhold jumping to attack or imprison them before they had a chance to explain.

And they explained _everything_.

Scorpia did most of the talking, mostly because Entrapta had a tendency to ramble and use words outside most people’s lexicons, and because Catra was too busy trying to look everywhere but at Adora; at the dawning realization in her face, the sadness in her frown, and the minute spark of hope in her eyes.

Needless to say Catra had been distracted during their debriefing.

It was even worse later when Adora had cornered her, alone. Everyone had dispersed for the night while Queen Angella decided on the rebel Horde soldiers' fates, and before Catra could be escorted with Entrapta and Scorpia to join the rest of Horde kids being guarded Adora had pulled her aside. She waved off the guards, telling them she could handle escorting Catra, that they needed to converse.

Catra had tried her damnedest to ignore the other girl’s questions, her hard prying eyes, but in the end all it took was a gentle hand and the softest blue eyes looking straight into her.

_“Why?”_

_“I made you a promise I wanted to keep.”_

She had stalked off after that, not daring to look back to see if Adora even understood what she meant. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

Two days later, the Horde appeared through the Whispering Woods. All of them.

The battle felt like it had lasted forever. Many people were injured, many more were lost. A Horde soldier had blown a hole in Catra’s left ear that nearly deafened her. She saw She-Ra in the distance fighting one-on-one with Hordak and losing. They were all losing.

That is until Entrapta finally managed to hack into the First Ones tech and use that power to amplify the Moon Stone’s power, thus empowering all the princesses and then some. Even Catra had felt a surge of power, her speed tripling and her grappling game beyond any Horde soldier’s capability. She threw soldiers left and right and tore through tanks like they'd been made of cloth. For the first time in her life Catra truly felt powerful.

She-Ra was a beacon of light, glowing golden and blazing a trail in her wake. Envigored, she was able to slay Hordak with her sword in one fell swoop, the goblin king bursting into a glimmering ball of light.

The Horde surrendered not long after that. Scorpia reclaimed her throne as the Princess of Solace and began rebuilding her home with Entrapta’s help. The princess alliance was dismissed, although they all frequented Bright Moon for various royal meetings and friendly hangouts alike. The kingdoms were at peace at last and everyone was growing accustomed to the new normal.

Or… at least trying to.

The light from the window cast a glare into Catra’s eyes and she had to shake her head a few times to fully pull herself back to the present moment. The suns were just beginning to rise over Etheria and Catra realized she had been up all night.

Not that it had been the first time.

Sleeping alone in a big quiet castle was just too difficult for Catra. At least when she had been given her own Force Captain's quarters she still had the hustle and bustle of the Fright Zone around her to drown out the silence in her head. Now though, there wasn’t anything to keep the too loud thoughts or nightmares from keeping her up.

And, although she’d never admit it out loud, Catra really missed sleeping with Adora nearby. Having grown up with her best friend’s heartbeat to listen to, its absence had been like a missing limb to Catra who felt useless and lost without it.

But things between them were still complicated. They had fought against one another, however staged it had been, and the pains of abandonment were still too raw for the both of them. So even though they were trying so desperately to get back to the place they once were, it still felt like a giant rift lay between them and all they had was a flimsy bridge to connect them.

It didn’t feel right to ask Adora for that kind of comfort. Not after what Adora had done to her. What Catra had done in return.

Catra jumps off the window sill and stretches, her joints popping with disuse. Well, no sense in getting weepy over it now. Maybe she just needed some food in her to take her mind off things.

She left her room and headed off in the direction she thought the kitchen was. It was far too early for anyone to really be up and about, save for a few nightly guards who gave solemn nods to Catra as she padded by. She returned the nods with her own. At least _this_ had given her some form of normalcy when it came to her new life in Bright Moon.

After the second battle of Bright Moon and Hordak’s defeat, Scorpia had originally asked her to come back to Solace with her and be the General of the New Army. Catra had almost said yes, but one look at Adora’s saddened face had sealed her fate in Bright Moon. Adora had a life in Bright Moon and truth be told Catra wasn’t too keen on giving up the rickety bridge she and Adora had just started to rebuild.

Scorpia seemed to understand and promised to keep in touch. Lohnie was appointed general and Catra can’t say she’s disappointed by the decision.

But without the Horde army Catra had spent the first few days in Bright Moon feeling lost. Without training or fighting, did she have a purpose? It took her two days to find the guard’s training arena, and another day and a half before she gave in to drilled-in instincts and took to the mats.

She had never really been one for rigorous training in the Horde, but idle claws or whatever the saying was. Catra had worked herself until she was sore and panting, but stars did it feel good to get her blood pumping again. She’d been so into her workout that she hadn’t even noticed the guard watching her from the observation tower until the woman alighted down on near silent wings a minute later.

Catra had been so surprised she had swung on impulse and nearly knocked the Guard Captain off her feet. And when the Captain, instead of reprimanding her, actually  _appraised_ her and offered her a training spot to be a guardswoman, Catra was almost too stunned to accept. But she had and now, three weeks later, she had finally found some sturdier ground to stand on in Bright Moon.

Catra sniffed the air a few times, trying to pick up on the smell of food. The kitchen was usually stocked well enough that even when it wasn’t staffed, there was a selection of snacks to choose from. Catra was hoping to get her claws on one of those new pastries Glimmer had made her try the other day; a doughy, fluffy, and all around fantastic monstrosity, although Catra didn’t really see the point of the hole in the middle of it.

“Good morning Catra!”

The feline halfling practically shrieked at the sudden voice, jumping nearly three feet in the air and landing on all fours. She looked around and was perplexed when she saw a tall willowy figure step into the corridor from a nearby balcony, giving Catra a smile that was just off enough to make the girl a smidge uncomfortable.

“Princess Perfuma,” Catra squeaked out before quickly jumping back to her feet and clearing her throat. She smoothed down her mane and tail from their puffed up mess, hoping to restore a modicum of her dignity. “Didn’t think anyone was up and about.”

“I’m sorry I startled you. I was simply enjoying the first morning rays with some photosynthesis exercises. It’s very relaxing and centers your harmony. You should try it with me some time!”

“Er, yeah… maybe another time.” Catra winced, reaching up to tug on her torn ear in embarrassment. It’s not like she had ever spent much time with any of the princesses, aside from when she had been fighting them, and she didn’t know how she was supposed to act around them. The only one who she didn’t mind talking to was Mermista and that was simply because the girl had a knack for bluntness. And a love for sharp objects, like her trident or her throwing knives.

Perfuma tilted her head to the side, looking worried. “Oh Catra, are you feeling well? You do not look much like yourself.”

The question was surprising enough that Catra ended up answering without thinking. “I-I mean, yeah, I’m okay. I just… didn’t sleep all that great, but what else is new?”

No. Bad. Wrong thing to say. Catra’s shoulders bunched up and her cheeks flared as Perfuma gasped, a sad look in her eyes.

“Oh Catra, you poor thing. It must be difficult having gone through what you have. I wish there was something I could- OH!”

Catra jumped (not very high) at the princess’s shout and grew weary as a grin split across her freckled face. “Oh, I have just what you need! Here, follow me to my room.” And before Catra even had time to answer the princess was striding off in the other direction. Catra stared mournfully in the direction of the kitchens but relented and followed after Perfuma.

Every princess had a designated room for whenever they visited Bright Moon and they reached Perfuma’s minutes later. When she opened the door Catra was practically bombarded by an assortment of smells, all of them floral. Perfuma’s room was covered top to bottom in everything green and in between; flowers littered the floor and vines crept along every square inch of wall. One would think they were outside if not for the furniture strewn about the room.

Catra gingerly picked her way through the impromptu garden, trying not to step on anything and nearly falling flat on her face when Perfuma suddenly hollered, “Ah ha! Found it!”

She handed Catra a small brown leather pouch that was tied off with a black string. Catra weighed it in her palm, lightly shaking it. “What’s in it?”

“Nepeta cataria, from the Lamiaceae family!” Catra leveled Perfuma with a look she usually reserved for Entrapta when she was rambling on about her theories. Perfuma gave her an awkward smile. “Um, commonly known as catnip.”

“Cat-nip? Never heard of it.”

“Well, it’s a short-lived perennial, herbaceous plant that blooms from late spring to the autumn. The plant contains a chemical called nepetalactone which is known to have behavioral effects on all feline-based creatures, such as yourself, although only about two-thirds of individuals actually experience any of the commonly known effects of the chemical. Consumption of the plant has both stimulating and sedative outcomes that typically last between five and fifteen minutes, after which olfactory fatigue sets in.”

Catra’s blank stare quickly changed Perfuma’s excited lecture into a small frowned explanation. “If you eat the plant, it will make you sleepy.”

“Oh! Really?”

“Yes. You may experience heightened sensory functions at first, but after a bit it will begin to set in and you’ll be able to relax much easier. Hold on, I think I’ve some lavender around here somewhere…”

Perfuma practically skipped across the room and disappeared into the foliage, leaving Catra to stare at the pouch in her palm. She gave it a tentative sniff and, well, it certainly smelled good. Like something spicy and strong. She carefully pried the pouch open and the aroma hit her even harder, making her mouth water.

Well… there can’t be any harm to it, right? She had the day off from training and it was still early enough that she didn’t need to actually be out of bed for a while, unless someone came to get her. But her nerves had been frayed all week and she could definitely go for a little R&R.

So Catra tipped her head back and let the contents of the bag spill into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, pushing the leaves around in her mouth as the new flavors tickled her tastebuds.

“-valerian root, for example,” Perfuma was saying as she reappeared from behind the vines, “has a similar effect as catnip, so if this doesn’t work let me…” The princess stopped, her eyes darting from Catra to the pouch lying now limp in her hand. “What happened to the catnip?”

Catra swallowed, running her tongue along her teeth to catch any stray leaves. “I ate it.”

“ALL OF IT???”

The feline startled at the sudden shriek. Something worrisome began to creep along her stomach at the way Perfuma was staring at her with wide-eyed horror. “Y-yeah?”

“You were only supposed to take a little at a time! Not the whole thing!”

Catra guffawed. “Wha- h-how… well how was I supposed to know that?!”

“Oh dear, this is not good.” Perfuma worried, pacing back and forth, the flowers in her room swaying with her movements.

“Am- I’m not going to, like… _die_ , or anything, right?”

That got Perfuma to stop her frantic walking and instead she was spinning her hands about Catra’s face. “Oh no no no no no! Nothing like that! I’m just afraid that the effects will last much longer than they should. You’ve more than tripled the dosage so everything is probably going to last much longer and quite possibly affect you much more greatly.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means… I should get Adora.” Perfuma brushed past Catra and was nearly at the door before she caught what the princess had said.

“What?! Why?”

“Just in case,” she called over her shoulder, already making her way down the hall.

“Wait, Perfuma, I don’t-” but she was already out of ear shot. Catra picked her way back across the room and was just at the door when something funny happened.

Everything seemed to jump into focus all at once, and yet it was like her mind was trudging through a fog. It was like she had been filled up to the brim with cotton and left out in the suns for a day or so. Catra shook her head to try to clear it but that only resulted in sending her stumbling into the doorframe. Oh Stars, were these the effects Perfuma had mentioned? She felt slow, lethargic, and a little sleepy, but at the same time she was itching to go for a run, climb to the top of the castle, and _staaaaars_ was she **_starving_**!

She needed to find Adora.

* * *

Adora yawned, wide and tiresome, before accepting the cup of tea Bow handed her with a smile. Glimmer slumped against her shoulder with a groan.

“Whyyyy are we even up right now?” she bemoaned, using Adora’s jacket to cover her head and block out the dawning day.

“Because Perfuma wanted everyone to watch the sunrises before you guys got stuck in all those royal meetings you have today,” Bow answered, chipper as always. He passed a cup to Frosta and one to a barely awake Sea Hawk, saving the last for himself before taking a seat beside Glimmer.

“As someone who takes their beauty sleep very seriously, I for one am not too pleased,” Mermista grumbled, leaning back into the couch and swinging her legs across Scorpia’s lap.

“My dear Mermista, you have no need for ‘beauty sleep’ when you are already so enchanting,” Sea Hawk lamented, giving the merprincess a wink.

Mermista huffed and turned away, hiding her blush from no one. “Whatever. But like, Perfuma’s not even here so can we all just head back to-” Just then the floral princess bustled into the common room in a whirlwind of petals. “Nevermind.”

“Adora!” Perfuma shouted, making everyone wince.

“Perfuma. Good morn-”

“Sorry, yes, good morning, but first I need to tell you there’s been an… _incident_.”

That got everyone’s attention, even Glimmer who had been near asleep before suddenly sat up ridged. Tensions were still high with the second battle for Bright Moon fresh in all their minds and the kingdoms still rebuilding from the damage. Etheria was playing a precarious balancing game that even the mention of some sort of problem was enough to put them all on edge.

“What’s happened?” Adora asked, rising to her feet, ready to take action.

“Well, I was doing some photosynthesis exercises this morning, you know, to center my harmony, when I bumped into Catra. Poor thing looked like she hadn’t slept at all, which given the past few weeks I mean who can really blame her. You see, this is why we should all do some suns salutation-”

“Perfuma!” Adora interrupted, growing anxious at the mention of her best friend/turned enemy/turned friend-ish. “What happened to Catra?”

“Right, sorry. Short version: I gave her something to aid her sleep. Are you familiar with a plant called ‘catnip’?”

Mermista snorted. “Oh I’m liking where this is going.”

Adora ignored her. “No, I don’t believe so. What is it?”

Perfuma opened her mouth to answer but Glimmer held up a hand to stop her. “The shortened explanation, please. No lectures this early in the morning.”

“Right. It’s a plant that, when feline-based creatures ingest it, can have relaxing effects on them.”

“Okay… then what’s the matter?”

Perfuma bit her lip, twisting her hands up nervously. “Well I gave Catra some and she ate it… a _lot_ of it, actually.”

A crash from the doorway had them all jerking in surprise and spinning to look at what the commotion was. As if summoned by her name Catra was propped up against the doorframe with a lazy expression on her face, her eyes half shut and her mouth split into a too-wide grin. She gave the door a gentle pat before stumbling her way into the room, only to knock into a table that sent her sprawling across the floor. Adora and Perfuma both jumped to help her back to her feet, leading her over to the nearest chair which she just barely managed to slump into.

“Yeah, I’m definitely liking where this is going,” Mermista mused, reclining farther into the couch.

“You okay, Kitty?” Scorpia called, worry for her feline friend etched on her face.

Catra picked her head up and gave the room a slow once over. “I’m……. _fiiiine._ ”

“How fascinating!” Entrapta jumped to her feet and pulled out her tape recorder. “Catra seems to be experiencing similar effects to the ones Adora had when she had been corrupted by my First One’s tech experiment. Only Catra’s effects are from a purely organic substance.” She prodded Catra with her hair, earning a giggle from the feline soldier.

“How long is this going to last exactly?” Adora queried, turning back to Perfuma. She personally hadn’t liked the effects of her corruption; the lightheadedness and slowed senses made her feel like she’d gone four rounds in a training simulator with a head cold and a concussion. She couldn't imagine Catra would like it anymore than she had.

“Well, a small dosage only lasts about fifteen minutes, but given Catra ate the entire pouch, maybe a few hours? But don’t worry!” Perfuma tried to assuage, Adora’s face a clear indication of her mounting horror. “The chemical is not deadly, not even consumed in such a high portion. The worst will probably be a headache when this is all over with.”

Adora startled at the feeling of something brushing against her legs and was very much surprised to find Catra at her feet and rubbing up against her knees and shins, purring louder than Adora had ever heard before. Her tail flicked back and forth in a lazy wag, encircling one of Adora’s thighs as she continued to bodily rub herself on the taller girl.

“Aw! She likes you Adora,” Scorpia cooed, earning several hums in agreement.

As for Adora, the pseudo-princess was stuck in a state between slightly embarrassed and absolutely shocked. Her relationship with Catra was still struggling to restore itself to it’s former glory, but even back in the Horde Catra had never shown Adora this level of comfortability. She had always shied away or brushed off Adora’s hands and eventually Adora had simply chalked it up to her harden Horde nature. She didn’t know Catra could be so… _affectionate._

Someone coughed nonchalantly and Adora snapped out of her thoughts. She cleared her throat awkwardly, face suddenly warm. “Right, well, I’m going to bring Catra back to her room to let her sleep this off.”

She bent to wrap her arms around the halfling girl and hoisted her until she was standing. Or rather slumped against Adora’s side where she almost immediately switched to rubbing her face into Adora’s chest, her purrs rumbling through Adora’s entire body.

“Hey Adora,” she slurred with a gentle ‘mrrow’ at the end.

Adora’s face went up in flames.

“No, Catra, come on, let’s get back to your room. Catra, walk. No. Stop it, I’m trying- Catra just, I- ugh!”  Fed up with Catra’s inebriated incompetence, Adora hefted the feline up into her arms to carry her. She turned to see several amused faces about the room and offered everyone a small, awkward nod, made that much more difficult with Catra rubbing her nose against the column of Adora’s throat. “Alright. If you need me, I’ll be watching over this one… please try not to need me.”

And with that Adora strode out of the common room at a swift clip.

They made it back to the residential wing without incident, save for an almost trip when Catra began to kneed her claws into Adora’s jacket. Adora shouldered her way into Catra’s room, kicking it shut behind her and walking across it to gently place her friend into her bed. Or at least she tried to, only to be stopped by Catra’s arms stuck fast around her shoulders, which left Adora precariously leaning over the bed.

“Catra you got to let go-”

“Nooooo!” she whined, her claws digging in slightly.

“You’ll feel better once you sleep this off.”

“I can’t sleeeeep!”

Adora sighed, removing Catra’s arms and pulling back from her grasp. “Catra-”

“ **Stay**.”

Adora stopped out of surprise, casting a look down at her childhood friend who was looking back up at her with sad tear-soaked eyes. Her lip quivered and she snuffled. “Please? It’s been _so hard_ falling asleep without you nearby and every dream is a nightmare and I’m just so tired of waking up alone. I-I don’t wanna be alone anymore… please?”

Adora felt her heart clench at the admission. Catra had never really shown Adora her vulnerable side, at least not since they were kids, ever the toughened-up soldier that she was, and the blonde was nearly beside herself from it. She had to admit to that she had been tip-toeing around Catra ever since she came to Bright Moon, but now she was practically slapping herself upside the head over it. Her best friend had been hurting and she was tired of pretending like she wasn’t a part of it.

“Hey, Catra, it’s okay,” she murmured, gently nudging Catra to make room for her. They shuffled into the middle of the feathered mattress and Adora had just enough time to pull the covers over them before she felt Catra bury her head into her chest again, her arms cinched tightly around her middle.

Adora sighed, wrapping Catra up into her and closing her eyes, listening as Catra’s breathing evened out. “I’ll stay.”

* * *

Something, some noise, awoke Catra some time later.

The first thing Catra realized as she slowly came back to the waking world was how warm she felt. Not like a feverish warm or the kind of warm after too much exertion from training, but a comfortably soft and content kind of warm.

Her head felt heavy, like it had been filled with downy feathers and swizzled about for a while, and her body cramped, having laid curled up in one position for so long. She really didn’t want to get out of bed, not when she felt so off (why was she feeling so weird?), but her stomach growled at her, begging for sustenance.

However, when she tried moving to stretch herself out, Catra came to her second realization: someone was in bed with her.

Catra’s eyes snapped open, her heart nearly bursting into a frenzied mess. Catra would have jumped to her feet, claws unsheathed and teeth barred, if it weren’t for the arm wrapped tightly around her waist holding her hostage. She cautiously looked over her shoulder, ready for an attack, only to be stunned still by the sight she found behind her.

Adora. Asleep. _In her bed_.

What the heck?! When had that even happened?!

_Okay, okay Catra, think! What happened this morning?_

She remembered not sleeping much last night. Perhaps this was a fever dream or hallucination, although the weight and warmth of Adora beside her quickly nixed that notion. She could recall wondering to the kitchen for food and bumping into Perfuma. Then she was in Perfuma’s room and the princess handed her a pouch of something. What was it? Catnip? Yeah, she remembered that and then eating it, and then Perfuma had freaked and then… just a blur from there. And maybe… someone’s boots? And knees??

Catra’s chest seized as an image- no, a memory, came into focus from the depths of her addled mind. She could remember herself suddenly in the common room and Adora helping her to her feet (when had she tripped?). Inebriated her had been so very fascinated with the way Adora smelled, clean and crisp like summer night air, mixed in with something sweet like honey or sugar. She couldn’t get enough of it and then she found herself rubbing against Adora’s knees, purring like a happy little kitten.

Catra was horrified. Oh Stars of Etheria, she had really done that, hadn’t she? And in front of everyone else, no less! Catra begged whatever ancestral First One had it out for her to just end her torment already. Catra groaned, shaking her aching head, mind reeling.

_Thu-thump. Thu-thump._

Catra paused, ears flicking at the sound.

_Thu-thump. Thu-thump._

It took her a ponderous moment before she was able to recognize the noise. The rhythm, that tone, the sound she had grown up with, daily and nightly. The most reliable, stead fast sound she had become so attuned with over the past eighteen years. The one she had missed so terribly when it was gone.

Adora’s heartbeat.

Catra glanced down at the girl beside her. She looked peaceful, which was quite an oddity for Catra to see. From the feline who had spent her fair share of time watching Adora as the girl slept, counting her breaths, listening to her heartbeat, anything to help her calm down after another one of her nightmares, Catra couldn’t recall a time Adora had ever looked this relaxed. Even in sleep, a Horde soldier had to be ready for anything. It was a nice change to see.

But how was she supposed to face Adora now? After the knee rubbing and chest nuzzling and the _purring?_

A steady base-line suddenly switched to a staccato snare, and Catra felt the arm around her tighten.

Adora was waking up.

Catra froze as Adora slowly blinked up at her bedmate, her gaze adjusting to focus on Catra, blue eyes soft from sleep. They stared at one another in silence, Catra stuck in fearful paralysis and Adora still coming to properly.

Should she move? She should probably move. Because this was supposed to be weird, right? They hadn’t gotten this far in fixing the issues between them, mending bridges and whatnot. They’d barely had time to themselves with all of Bright Moon’s repairs and royal meetings going on, let alone time for each other. And it wasn’t like they could just pick up where they left off before. They had changed and grew and fought and it just shouldn’t work like it used to. So why did it feel so natural, _so much better_ , to have Adora by her side in bed once more?

“Hey~” Adora croaked, voice rough from disuse. She propped herself up on her elbow, still looking up at Catra. Her hair was falling out of its usual ponytail and she had sleep lines pressed into her cheek from the pillow. She looked so unlike the composed figure-head Catra had always seen her as and much more like the Adora from her past; gap-toothed, care-free, best friend Adora.

Catra cracked an involuntary smile. “Hey Adora.”

“How are you feeling?”

She shrugged, ears flicking back and forth. “Fine.”

Adora hummed, pulling her arm away from Catra’s waist and sitting up fully. They were left to stare at one another as the real world began to filter back in from outside this bubble they had unknowningly created. Adora’s gaze sharpened. “How are you feeling, _really?_ ”

The half-feline girl felt her ears flatten on their own accord and she had to tear her focus away from inquisitive blue eyes, picking at the bedspread with her claws. “Like I said, I’m fine, it’s just… it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’ll manage.”

She could feel Adora’s gaze still leveled on her and knew the girl wasn’t satisfied with that answer. It made her fur stand on end and her skin crawl with an itch she couldn’t scratch. After another minute of silence, she finally acquiesced. “I haven’t been sleeping. I keep… having nightmares, or whatever. About Shadow Weaver.”

_And sometimes about you leaving me all over again._

“Oh, Catra-” She winced at the way Adora whispered her name like that.

Catra hissed before spitting, “Don’t do that.”

“What do you-”

“That ‘oh poor Catra, such a mess Catra, can’t even handle a little nightmare since we were kids Catra’. Well I don’t need your pity! And I can take care of myself, _princess_.”

It was a low blow, throwing Adora’s fancy new title in her face like that, but Catra felt rubbed raw with emotion, and she was always the best at fighting dirty. Adora was silent for a moment more before her face hardened into a frown. “You know I don’t think any of that.”

Catra gave her a small grunt, moving out from beneath the covers. She needed to get away from Adora, put some distance between them before she did something stupid or said something she’d regret, but a hand around her wrist stopped her from leaving the bed, leaving her perched on the edge of the mattress. She wouldn’t meet Adora’s eyes but a hand under her jaw titled her chin up until she was left staring into oceans of blue.

“Catra I don’t pity you. You know I wouldn’t do that. I empathize with you. I know what nightmares can do to someone, the toll they take on people, including me. What we've been through... well, it sucks. Shadow Weaver messed us both up, and if I'd known any better I would have dragged you out of the Horde with me instead of ultimately pitting us against one another. But I also know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Etheria knows you could be on your death bed and brush off any kind of help, you stubborn kitty-brat.”

They both chuckled, knowing how true it was. Adora’s hand slipped down to lay gently on her shoulder. “Catra I feel bad because I _care_ about you. I… I never stopped.”

Catra stayed silent and Adora sighed, moving to withdraw her hand, but before she could get far Catra suddenly grabbed it, surprising them both. She shook her mane out, gently rubbing her thumb across Adora’s knuckles and tracing her hard-earned scars. “… I didn’t either, ya know.”

The relief in Adora’s smile was enough to send Catra’s heart into a flurry of erratic palpitations.

“You promise?”

Catra's head snapped up and she gaped at Adora’s gentle grin. “You- you remember that?”

“Of course I do. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t?”

An unknown weight was suddenly lifted off Catra’s shoulders and she felt herself relax for the first time in First Ones knew how long. She sighed, pushing down the urge to purr. “I promise.”

“I really have missed you. I wasn’t lying back in the simulator.”

“Good thing I was. Although you really should get over yourself.” Adora laughed, gently nudging Catra with her free hand but paused when something caught her eye.

“Does this still hurt?” she asked, reaching up to gently brush her hand over Catra’s injured ear. Catra opened her mouth to answer that it had already healed over but the sensation of Adora’s touch on a sensitive enough area had a purr slipping out instead. They both froze before Adora broke out into laughter and Catra felt her cheeks alight. She shoved Adora hard and sent the girl tumbling out of bed where she continued her giggle fest from the floor, tears streaking her face.

“I- I’m sorry! But it-it just reminded me of before-”

“Let’s never talk of that traumatizing experience ever again. I’m going to kill Perfuma for this once I get my claws on her.”

“Oh stop, you will not.” Adora pulled herself to her feet, grinning brilliantly down at Catra. “Come on, you hungry?”

Catra felt her mouth water and on queue her stomach roared. “Oh stars, starving!”

“Then let’s go get something to eat.” Adora offered her hand to Catra and hoisted the halfling to her feet. A devious smirk littered her face. “Maybe a fresh mouse or two?”

“Would you let that go already!”

It wasn't perfect, not even close to what they once had, but it felt like a good start. And they were headed for something great. Something brand new.


	2. Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little take on the prompt "sick" with a tad more flare. Warning for mentions of vomiting although it's brief and not graphic. Still, if its not your cup of tea beware of Adora's "I don't feel so good". I've barely looked this over because it's late and I'm tired, so sorry for all grammar and spelling mistakes. Anyways, onward!

Glimmer huffed, fixing her tiara for the sixth time in the past two minutes, freezing when she heard a chuckle beside her.

“Will you stop messing with that. It looks just fine-”

“Well, it can’t be _just fine_ , Bow! There are dignitaries to impress, and monarchy to mollify, and I can’t go out there looking like a fool because of a stupid crooked tiara!” Her shouts were accompanied by the flap of her wings accidentally knocking over a stack of papers that had been piling on her desk. Glimmer stared hard at the offending mess and a high-pitched whistle buried itself in her throat, ready to turn into a scream.

Bow smiled softly at his best friend and cupped her face in his hands, making Glimmer look at him and squishing her cheeks up ridiculously. “Glimmer, you look amazing. All those people out there are going to be tripping over themselves when they see you.”

Glimmer blushed before quickly pulling away and coughing awkwardly into her fist.

Adora rose from her seat beside the window, smoothing out the wrinkles in her new white suit. “Yeah, Glimmer, you look great. Why are you so anxious about some ball?”

Glimmer huffed again. “Ugh, I don’t know. Nerves? It’s just…” She paused, unconsciously reaching up to fiddle with her tiara, only for Bow to grab her hand to ease her restlessness. She sighed, her wings sinking to droop on the ground. “It’s not the ball. It’s everyone _at_ the ball who’ll be watching. And I just… I want Mom to see that I can do this.”

Bow and Adora shared a sympathetic look over Glimmer’s head.

During the second battle of Bright Moon, Queen Angella had taken a critical blow trying to protect the castle. Glimmer had come to her mother’s aid but had then had to make the decision of whether she was to stay by her mother’s side or take her place and protect the Moon Stone.

Ultimately Glimmer had to do what was best for the kingdom and connected herself to the Moon Stone to keep the darkness at bay while Entrapta worked furiously to assist her. And when the tech savvy princess had finally hacked into the First Ones’ tech and amplified the stone’s power, Glimmer had been downright ethereal; basked in glitters and sparkles, the surge of power had sprouted a pair of bright pink wings on the princesses back and the darkness had been destroyed just like her mother had done before.

Then She-Ra defeated Hordak and the Horde had surrendered.

The battle had been won, but the queen had been severely injured and put on bed-rest until she fully healed. Angella had appointed Glimmer as acting regent until she was well again, and the young princess had been working almost non-stop to set Bright Moon back to its glory.

There had been council meetings upon council meetings, order after given order, supplies that needed to be sent, letters and documents that needed reading and writing, and re-reading and rewriting, and all together a lot for one princess to do on her own.

On top of that, Angella had been trying to “guide” Glimmer in her new role, or as Glimmer had put it _“she’s suffocating me!”._ Angella had good intentions, no doubt—she was only trying to groom her daughter for a position that she was destined to inherit one day—however, the queen certainly had a knack for “motherly micromanagement”.

But Glimmer had tried her best to take it all in stride (save for an occasional pillow-scream or mild freak-out with Bow or Adora) and was determined to prove that she was a capable leader to her people and to her mom.

And thankfully, she had a very supportive group of friends who were willing to help her out.

Now though, all the kingdoms were coming together for the first time since the end of the war under the guise of celebration. Angella was well enough to attend the ball but had ~~reluctantly~~ resigned herself to being merely an attendee of the event, letting Glimmer keep the reins just a little longer.

With her mother’s loving scrutiny and the rest of the nobility watching her every movement, it was reasonable for Glimmer to be in panic mode.

“Glimmer I know you feel like you have a lot riding on this, but I want you to remember: this is just another party. And people are meant to have _fun_ at a party,” Bow said, shooting Adora a wink. Adora smirked, nodding her head in compliance and silently counting to three before they both attacked the mopey princess with tickles and hugs.

Glimmer shrieked and tried to fend off their assault for a solid few seconds before disappearing in a cloud of sparkles. A moment later Bow and Adora had their heads squished under Glimmer’s arms as she pulled them in for a hug, all of them laughing until tears were running down their cheeks.

When their laughter eventually died down, Adora sat back, giving her friend’s hair a gentle ruffle. “Don’t worry Glimmer. Best Friend Squad has your back,” Adora said, making Bow squee with delight.

Glimmer smiled. “Thanks you guys.” She straightened, her pink feathers smoothing back down in sleek excellence. She looked relaxed, determined, and positively _regal_ as she led them out of the room with her usual sparkling confidence. “Alright. Let’s do this thing.” 

* * *

 Adora remembered what it was like when she first stepped into the palace of Snows for the Princess Prom; the glitz and the glam of the ballroom, the twinkle of the lights, and the smiles on all the young princesses’ faces, all of it forever cherished in her memory.

This ball was nothing like that.

For one, the majority of attendees were much older than the prom goers. There were still young folks scattered throughout the ballroom, but Adora couldn’t take two steps without bumping into a man or women at least twice her age. The music and the lights were fairly similar, however the dance floor was practically non-existent as people seemed more preoccupied with their conversations; schmoozing important figureheads or boasting to one another about how much better off their kingdom was than the other’s.

And of course, once people began to recognize Adora as the alter to She-Ra, she couldn’t take two steps more without someone pulling her into one conversation after the other. The amount of times Adora was asked to recount her battle with Hordak had long surpassed ‘too many’.

Honestly, if Adora had to hear another mention of ‘She-Ra’ before the night was over it would be too soon.

Glimmer and Bow weren’t faring much better than her though. Glimmer had been swamped the second she had descended the steps, losing Adora and Bow to the crowd. And then Adora had lost her “Bow-Bro” as he often called himself sometime after her third or fourth impromptu conversation with another faceless dignitary. She spotted him sometime later beside Glimmer, casting her apologetic looks but Adora waved him on. As long as he was looking out for Glimmer, Adora was fine fending for herself.

But Stars of Etheria was that easier said than done.

She really wished she could spend some time with a friendly face at least once that night, but the pickings were slim. Perfuma had urgent business back in Plumeria, while Sea Hawk and Mermista had tickets to see some famous underwater band. Entrapta was milling around somewhere in the ballroom, but she was conducting another social experiment that Adora didn’t want to intrude upon. Frosta and Scorpia were stuck in their respective kingdoms and as for Spinnerella and Netossa? Well, it was date night.

Adora sighed, wishing Catra had decided to come. Despite the last party they went to having spectacularly flopped, some in part Catra’s doing, Adora still wanted her friend there to at least have someone to talk to; knowing without a doubt that the feline would be whispering snarky jokes about the many snooty lords and ladies in attendance and fighting her way out of these awful conversations, fang and claw. And, they could have matched!

But Catra had turned down Glimmer’s invitation, stating prior engagements with the guardwatch for the night. One of them was having fun at least.

She finally pulled away from the conversation she’d been dragged into by—Lord Vultor? Valor?—and stopped to rest for a moment against a pillar. She just needed a second to herself, no questions, no interruptions—

“Ma’am?”

Adora spun, barely restraining herself from dropping instinctively into a defensive stance, and instead only just managed in awkwardly propping her elbow up against the pillar, looking for nonchalance but stopping just shy. Thankfully, it was only a passing server who offered up his tray of drinks to Adora. She took one gratefully and the server passed on.

Adora looked down into the stemmed glass in her hands, curious at the liquid inside. It had a golden color and seemed to be bubbling, although it didn’t appear to be boiling. She sniffed it and glanced over the rim at the other guests, spotting several other patrons with glasses similar to hers. Well, what was the harm then?

And so, she took a tentative first sip, scrunching her nose at the way the bubbles fizzed and popped in her mouth. It didn’t taste all that bad.

“Oh, you must be Adora!” someone called out and Adora begrudgingly joined another conversation, trying desperately to not put her fist through a wall when the first thing any of them asked was, “What’s it like being She-Ra?”

Adora finished her drink to delay her answer. Another server passed by and traded her empty glass for a full one. The pseudo-princess put on a bright smile and patiently answered the same questions she had done several times over.

The ball progressed much the same way it had begun. The music picked up at some point and the crowd began to ease into the festivities, conversations getting louder, people getting rowdier. Drinks were finished and then refilled. Smiles were loosened and laughter flowed through the room like an endless river.

Oddly enough, Adora found herself relaxing more and more the further the night went on. Questions about She-Ra lost their initial sting and her answers began to slip out of her mouth before she’d even thought of them. It was kind of laughable, how she was stuttering over her words now, and she couldn’t help but giggle to herself. Someone made a joke and the group erupted in laughter.

Stars this ball was awesome! And these drinks were delicious! Adora was feeling great; like a cross between something fuzzy and fluttery. Kind of like Glimmer’s wings.

Oh Glimmer! She should go find her friend. Her fuzzy, fluttery friend.

Adora stumbled away from the circle of talk she’d barely been listening to, bumping into someone and muttering a semi gibberish apology. She scanned the ballroom, but her eyes were acting funny and she couldn’t see properly. Everything was muted in a glowing haze and the world was slipping sideways for some reason. Whoa, that chandelier looked _super_ pretty.

She found Glimmer by accident. She was walking without looking, still staring in awe at the ceiling chandelier, when she knocked into something feathery, nearly sloshing her half empty drink all over the place. When she glanced up and her eyes finally refocused, she found her fuzzy, fluttery friend looking up at her in surprise.

“Adora?”

“GLIMMER! I was looking for you,” she shouted even though Glimmer was right in front of her, but it was easier to shout than be quiet. She couldn’t hear herself if she was whispering. Was there something in her ear?

“Yeah, you… you found me.” Glimmer shared an uneasy look with Bow, trying to ignore her mother’s increasingly worried look. “Um, Adora are you okay? Your cheeks are all red.”

Adora gave Glimmer a blank look before she shook her head, giggling to herself. “I’m sorry, I think I’ve got something in my head. Can’t hear good.” The warrior giggled even harder, the only one finding humor in what she had said. Thankfully it was only Angella, Bow, and Glimmer nearby witnessing whatever was happening to her.

Adora brought her drink to her mouth and drained the glass, not noticing her friends’ eyes widening or hearing Angella’s quiet “oh dear”.

“Uh, Adora… how many of those have you had tonight?”

Adora smacked her lips, thinking. “Not really sure now. Like ten? Maybe twelve.”

“Oh Etheria,” Glimmer whispered, quickly taking the empty flute from Adora who pouted at its loss. “How are you even standing right now?”

Adora shrugged, looking down at her feet to see how she was indeed standing, but the movement threw her off-balance and she pitched forward unexpectedly. “Whoops!” Bow caught her and she sagged into his embrace, growing tired. “Ah thanks buddy!”

“You’re welcome buddy,” Bow said, gently patting Adora’s head. “How about we leave and go lie down for a while?”

“ _Noooooo!_ It’s a party! And I’m having so. Much. Fun!”

Bow glanced at Glimmer, unsure what to do. Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Of course, Adora. We can always come back later, but I’m sure if we go back to the residential hall we’ll have more fun there.”

Adora’s pout tripled. “How?”

“Well… Catra will be there-”

It was like a switch had been flipped in the blonde warrior and at the mention of the feline-halfling Adora was grinning like crazy, struggling out from Bow’s grasp. “Oh CATRA! She’s like my bezzzz friend! And you guys! But she’s not here right now. We should go get her!” In a burst of unknown coordination, Adora was sprinting up the nearby stairs and dragging Bow behind her with her amazing strength.

Glimmer buried her face in her palms, sighing. She turned to her mom and was met with an amused smile. “I got to-”

“Please. She’s going to need a lot of water and some herbs from the healers for when she wakes up tomorrow.”

Glimmer nodded before tucking herself into her mother’s arms in an unexpected hug. Angella smiled and laid a kiss to her daughter’s head. With a small salute, Glimmer disappeared, off in search of her best friend and her other, highly intoxicated, best friend. She found them just outside the ballroom where Adora had gotten distracted again by even more twinkling lights. Glimmer shook her head with an exasperated smile.

Twelve glasses of champagne? Oof. Poor Adora.

Another thought popped into the princess’s head just as Adora started off down the hall, loudly calling out a single name, and Glimmer couldn’t help but let out a sorry laugh.

Poor Catra. 

* * *

 Catra inspected the cards in her hands, glancing over them to look pensively at the other players. She gave them a fang-filled smirk before pushing the remaining chips in front of her into the middle of the table. “I’m all in.”

Two of the guards folded right away. Aetios glared at his cards before he too laid his hand down, leaving just Catra and Guard Captain Odessa still in the game.

Poker night. It was one of Catra’s favorite past times here at the palace and she was forever grateful to Kiki for bringing her along the first time and teaching her the game. She had picked it up rather quickly and had earned her place at the table every other week when the guards not on nightwatch would get together. Apparently she had an excellent poker face, one that rivaled Odessa’s, although the Guard Captain had years of experience and enough wins over Catra to still give her a run for her money.

Like their current game. Odessa gave Catra a matching toothy grin and pushed her chips into the pile, making Catra sweat. “Call.” She placed her hand down on the table, fanning it out for everyone to see. “Four of a kind, Ace high.”

A collective “ooh” spread around the table and everyone turned to Catra. Did she have the hand to beat it?

Catra’s face fell.

Odessa chuckled and began pulling her winnings toward her until Catra slapped her own cards down on top of the pile. Odessa looked up in surprise. The feline soldier gave her a slow smile, turning her cards over for everyone to see. “Straight Flush.”

A cheer erupted around the table and Catra earned several hard pats on her back. It wasn’t often that anyone was able to beat the Guard Captain, and this win made Catra’s first against the master poker player.

Odessa sat back, a satisfied smile on her lips, relenting to the win. “Fair is fair, _Gàta_ ,” and offered her hand for Catra to shake. “Good job.”

Catra gave the woman a solemn nod and shook her hand, schooling her features into neutrality even though inside she was practically preening from the praise. Such was a rarity back in the Horde, even less so for Catra who never seemed to garner anything but annoyed reprimands from her superiors or harsh punishments from Shadow Weaver. Finally receiving the validation she had missed out on was an odd, yet welcome feeling.

But the celebration was fleeting. A guard suddenly alighted down on the landing deck to the guard tower, the updraft scattering the cards on the table and making all five heads turn toward the new comer.

“Kira,” Odessa addressed the guard. “What business? Shouldn’t you be on rounds in the residential wing?”

“I’ve just come from there, ma’am. Princess Glimmer has requested Catra’s presence at once.”

Said girl stood from the table, her winnings forgotten. “Why?”

Kira shook her head, her wings twitching. “I am not sure. She said only that it was an urgent personal matter. And that it may involve Princess Adora.”

Catra stiffened. That certainly didn’t sound promising. Odessa rose beside her, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Just as well then. The night is drawing to a close anyway and we will be needing to escort the ball attendants out soon. Catra you are excused from duty. Everyone else, we leave in five.”

The feline nodded her thanks before heading out to the landing deck and began the quick climb down the length of the guard tower to the main castle grounds. From there it was a simple series of hops and sprints over the rooftops before she found herself just below Glimmer’s window. She swung in silently and delighted in the shriek that greeted her.

“For First Ones sake, can’t you use a door like a normal person?!”

Catra smirked, righting herself and brushing off her uniform. “But where’s the fun in that, Sparkles?” She would have said more if in the next instant she hadn’t been essentially bowled over by a blur of white and blonde.

“CATRAAAA! I found youuu!”

It took the feline girl a few stunned seconds to decipher that it was Adora who was currently wrapped up around her, giggling into her collar bone in small hot puffs. And she was definitely using a bit of her super strength because Catra’s ribs felt on the verge of snapping. She wheezed in a breath and wiggled in her friend’s grasp.

“Uh ye-ah. Hey, Adora.”

Adora snorted, making Catra’s tail twitch. “~Hey, Adora~ You always say it so nice. Is fine. I like it.” Adora finally pulled back enough to ruffle Catra’s hair, brushing just a tad too harshly over her torn ear and making her wince. Now that she had a better look at Adora she could see that her face was flushed bright with color and that her eyes looked glassy under the half-lidded gaze. And she was giving Catra the dopiest grin she had ever seen on her.

It would have been cute if not for the unease building in her gut.

Adora spun unexpectedly and Catra reached out on instinct to steady her as she wobbled in her heels. Okay, now her worry had tripled. She was able to get Adora to the window bench where the girl started snorting her hysterics into one of Glimmer’s numerous fluffy pillows.

Catra whirled on Glimmer and Bow, hackles raised and hissing. “What did you two do to her?!”

“What?! _We_ didn’t do anything! Adora’s the one who decided to drink twelve glasses of champagne and waltz herself into _this_ mess,” Glimmer screeched, gesturing to said mess. She began rubbing her temples and let out a pained groan.

Catra raised a questioning eyebrow at Bow who seemed to understand. “Champagne is alcohol.”

Her eyes grew comically wide before Catra let out an unrestrained cackle. “HA! Well, that explains it! Adora’s never touched the stuff a day in her life!”

“I don’t actually think she knew it was alcohol.”

“Probably not. Alcohol was forbidden for younger cadets back in the Horde, but that didn’t mean a few of us didn’t sneak it from the mess hall when no one was looking. Adora was too much of a goody-goody to ever break the rules.” Catra shook her head, grinning. “And the kind of stuff we had in the Horde would make your drinks look like juice. The hangovers were killer but the buzz made it so worth it.”

Adora sat up suddenly and looking awfully green in the face. “I don’ feel so good,” she gurgled before promptly turning around and heaving out the window.

All their eyes bugged in panic. Glimmer screamed, throwing her hands over her ears and turning away, muttering “ew ew ew”. Bow had turned away too, but his face looked ashen and he was pinching his nose from the smell. Catra grimaced at the retching noises but ultimately stepped up to stand behind Adora and rub soothing circles into her back. They’d both seen each other at their sickest back in the Horde and the feline knew this was what the girl needed most.

The gaging finally stopped after a few minutes. Adora pulled herself back into the room, looking much worse for wear. On the plus side, she hadn’t gotten anything on her new pristine white pantsuit. She slumped into Catra’s side as the girl continued rubbing her back, whimpering and shivering as her stomach tried to resettle itself.

“I can take her back to her room-”

“Yes, please do,” Glimmer hurriedly answered, grimacing as the scene played over and over in her head. “Please. No more sick happens in this room. I am never taking my immunity for granted ever again!”

Catra pulled Adora gingerly to her feet, shouldering one of Adora’s arms and wrapping her own around her friend’s waist to take the brunt of her weight. Glimmer waved them away, quieting Adora when she tried to slur out an apology. She still refused to look at her window so Catra shut it for her. Bow gave a curt nod to them, looking a little green himself, and called a soft “feel better Adora” as they left the room.

Even with Adora’s room right down the hall, it took the duo a while to make it to her door but thankfully without much incident (save for a very sorry potted plant the staff were going to have to remove tomorrow once they found it and its new ‘fertilizer’).

Catra shoved the door open and pulled Adora through the room, nearly dragging her at this point. “Come on, you lump. Two feet, one right after the other, you can do it.” Adora grumbled something back but ultimately let it go in favor of trying to keep the room from spinning around her.

They stopped at the bath where she sat Adora on the tub’s edge, disappearing and then reappearing with a toothbrush and a glass of water. “Brush. Drink. Then bed. I’ll be right back.”

When Catra returned two minutes later with a small pouch of herbs from the healers, Adora had managed to migrate to her bed and was slumped forward with her head in her hands. She’d shucked her suit jacket and had kicked her heels off between the bath and the bed. She was still wearing her nice shirt but she had discarded her pants which left her in just her under-wrappings. “Note for future Catra and Adora: don’t let me drink. Ever. Again.”

Catra snickered, tossing the medicine onto Adora’s nightstand. “Well, I’ll admit I’m impressed you’ve held on this long. I always had you pegged as a lightweight to be honest. You probably get your tolerance from She-Ra.”

Adora waved her off without looking up, griping something out under her breath. Catra jerked her thumb behind her. “Well, if you don’t need anything else, I think I’ll just-”

“Wait!” Adora’s hand shot out to grab at her but was just a hair out of reach. Catra hesitated, startled by the outburst, yet made no further motion to leave. Adora sighed. “C-can you just… stay? For a bit? The room’s still spinnin’ and I don’t think I can sleep yet and I just…” Her words trailed off as she finally managed to pick her head up enough to look at Catra.

She looked absolutely pitiful; her lower lip jutting out in a pout and her unfocused eyes all misty and sad looking. Those damn baby blues were the bane of Catra’s existence. So before she even knew her mind had been made up she was climbing into bed and curling herself up behind Adora.

“You big softie,” she grumbled, lightly trailing her fingers across Adora’s back, her claws sheathed. “Just try to relax. The spins will pass soon enough.”

Adora let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders drooping with exhaustion. A dry chuckle escaped her and she twisted her body to look at Catra over her shoulder. “Remember the last time we were like this?”

Catra snorted. “Yeah. Three years ago when you got your ass handed to you in training and ended up with a concussion. I had to take care of your whiny butt for two whole days!” They laughed for a minute before Catra grew quiet, a dark look passing over her face. “Shadow Weaver wasn’t happy. She said I was ‘babying’ you.”

Adora fell silent for a moment while Catra lost herself in tracing light patterns into her back, reminiscing on things from the past. A sniffle had her glancing up and she was immediately gripped with a wave of panic as she saw the tears falling from Adora’s eyes. “Adora-”

“ _I’m so sorry, Catra!_ ” she sobbed out, her shoulders shuddering with each stuttering gasp. “I never knew! And I should have because we were best friends. Fuck, I’d seen what Shadow Weaver could do, had done to you, when we were kids, but I never- I just thought it wasn’t _that_ bad, and I ignored it. How could I ignore it? How did I not _see_?!”

“Whoa! Wait, no, hey!” Catra sat up, but she pulled her hands back, left unsure how to comfort her friend while she was like this. “Don’t say that. Adora, Shadow Weaver was a manipulative bitch who toyed with everyone’s desires and insecurities. And it wasn’t like I was all that forthcoming about what she did when no one was looking. Or how it hurt. You couldn’t have known-”

“Doesn’t matter! You didn’t deserve any of it.”

Catra’s tailed flicked in annoyance. “Well, no. None of us deserved to essentially be robbed of our childhoods and molded into mindless soldiers for an evil agenda. But what happened, happened and it’s over. Adora, come on, you can’t go blaming yourself-”

“ _I LEFT YOU!_ ”

They both stopped talking for a bit at that; the air around them holding enough tension to cut through diamonds. Adora hiccupped, wiping her face with her shirt before finally breaking the silence. “I left… and I didn’t think of what would happen when I was gone. But knowing what the Horde was doing- I couldn’t stay. I…I don’t regret joining the rebellion, so much as I just wished I could have gone back sooner. Helped sooner…”

She took another shuddering breath, whispering the next part. “You should hate me.”

Catra chuffed, fed up. “No, you know what? You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to sit there and try to tell me you’re some kind of all-knowing martyr who knew exactly what she was doing and making all the right decision when we both know we were nothing more than a couple of scared, broken kids doing what we could.”

“You left? Fine. But I _stayed_. Like you said, you don’t regret joining the rebellion when you did and I don’t regret staying with the Horde for as long as I did. There were good things and bad things about the choices we made then. Yeah, you left behind the only family and friends you’d ever known, but you were doing it for a good cause. And, yeah, maybe I just wanted to prove that I was more than what everyone thought I was. Maybe I wanted to be more than just ‘Adora’s little pet sidekick’. But I guess it didn’t matter in the end.”

Adora began to stutter out a reply but Catra shushed her with a tail to her face, grimacing at the snorty tears she wiped up. “Relax. I still gave Shadow Weaver the best ‘FU’ by beating her and taking her position, albeit only for a hot second. That certainly made at least some of it all worth it.” She shook her head, sighing.

“We _both_ made our choices, and that won’t change no matter what we regret about them. What has changed though, is where we are now. I mean, just look at me. Never in a million years would I have thought that I’d be protecting a bunch of princesses and training to be a freaking guardswoman of the palace!” That got her a watery, sobbing laugh, but a genuine smile nonetheless, so Catra would take it.

She bit her lip, hesitating for a fraction before she gave in and gently wrapped her arms around Adora, pressing her forehead in between her shoulder blades.

“I won’t lie, it sucked when you were gone. I was stupidly angry for a time and lo-lonely without you or whatever.” She muttered the last part, hoping in her diluted state Adora wouldn’t notice the stuttered admission. She nuzzled her face a little into Adora’s back, allowing herself a small smile. “But hate you? I could never.”

Catra let out a surprised chirp when Adora suddenly twisted in her grasp, bodily slamming into the other girl and sending them sprawling into the mattress.

“Thank you,” Adora breathed out, squeezing a tad too hard but Catra held her tongue even as her bones cracked. “I-I know it won’t change anything or if you’ll accept it or not, but I still want to say I’m sorry. And I want you to know that I think you’re amazing and I’m proud of who you’ve become; who you’ve always been. You really are your own person no matter what people used to think or say. I never wanted to make you feel like that and I hope you never have to feel like that again. Fighting with you was probably the worst about this whole mess. But I’m glad that, despite everything that happened, the universe decided to keep us together. And I promise, from now until the stars fall from the sky and time itself has stopped… I’m not ever letting you go.”

Catra had felt the rumble building inside the moment Adora had hugged her but by the end of her speech she was purring louder than a war-drum, having given in to the natural urge rather than suppress it like usual. It was a great comfort to the both of them.

“No matter what happens: I’ve got you and you’ve got me,” she said, earning an even tighter squeeze that cracked several more bones in her back. “O-kay, yep, I think we’re all done being emotional for a while. Time to turn in. You feeling any better?”

Adora nodded with a dopey smile on her face, her eyes bloodshot but twinkling just so in the pale moon light. Catra chuckled quietly, toying with Adora’s ponytail. “Man, you’re such a weepy drunk, and that’s like… the worst kind too.”

“Shut it, furball.”

Adora eventually released Catra from her hug-of-death, rolling over so that they were settled into the mattress with her back to Catra’s front. It took the feline another few seconds of debating before she ultimately told herself to screw it and wrapped her arm around Adora’s waist. This seemed to be the right decision because almost immediately the remaining tension slipped from the girl’s body and she snuggled further into Catra’s hold, letting out a content hum.

“Thanks Catra,” she sighed out, her breath slowing as exhaustion finally pulled her under.

Catra laid awake for a while longer, listening to Adora’s steady heartbeat. She buried her nose in silky blonde locks and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off with a small “welcome” before sleep overcame her too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kind of long, again, but the next chapter I've got ready will be shorter. And I'm like done writing this angsty stuff for a while so it's nothing but fluff from now on! Down for prompts. Thanks!


	3. Butterflies

Adora had seen many magnificent things since leaving the Fright Zone, but none of them could hold a candle to the gardens of Mystacor.

With Hordak’s defeat and the slow, stressful process of rebuilding the kingdoms to their former glories, the princess alliance (and then some) had finally decided that they were all long overdue for some much needed rest and relaxation. Therefore, the most logical solution was to take a small trip up to Mystacor.

Catra had turned to Adora after Glimmer had declared that they were all heading to the magical kingdom for a relaxing vacation, grinning along with the rest of the gang as they all cheered with relief. “Alright, awesome! So… what’s a vacation?”

They met up at the cliff leading to Mystacor, arriving in intervals until they were all waiting around at the edge. Adora watched with barely restrained amusement as everyone in the group lost their collective minds when Bow hopped over the side and disappeared into the clouds below with a long “woooohoooo!” Glimmer shook her head, smiling at her friend’s antics before she spread her wings and took to the air, hovering over a patch of clouds Bow floated up through moments later.

“Come on!” he called with an excited wave. “Just jump!”

Now knowing they weren’t essentially jumping to their deaths, the group began jumping aboard the floating mountain, except for Scorpia who was too afraid of the drop to take the leap. Swift Wind was kind enough to offer her a ride up instead and Glimmer flew close to them to keep Scorpia company.

Catra glanced at Adora, and as their eyes met something mischievous from times past sparked within them. A since forgotten drive to be the best that had been reborn anew as nothing more than friendly competition. Catra gave Adora a playful shove and it was all the egging needed before they were racing one another and launching themselves through the air, laughing the whole way.

Adora won in distance by landing farther, nearly sending herself over the other side of the floating rock if it hadn’t been for Bow catching her, and yes, Glimmer, it was absolutely worth it. But instead of going for distance, Catra had used her feline prowess to flip herself midair to land on her hands and then pushed off, flipping twice more before landing in a crouch. The gang clapped and shouted out various scores as Adora pulled Catra up to her feet. They both chuckled good naturedly, shoving at each other with increasing aggressivity before Bow squeaked out that he didn’t wanna see anyone wrestling over the edge.

A tie then.

Upon arriving to the invisible kingdom, they were greeted by Castaspella who was pleasantly surprised to see her niece and so many of her new friends, much to Glimmer’s chagrin.

“Oh Glimmer, look at you! When did you get your wings?! Oh, and look at all your **_friends_**!” Without warning, the sorceress began quickly pulling each of them in for sturdy hugs. Even Catra wasn’t fast enough to escape the woman’s arms, although when she finally did she scampered to hide behind an overly amused Scorpia.

After a brief tour for the newcomers, they gang was escorted to their quarters and they divided up the rooms to share. They had the rest of the morning to mill about and do whatever they wanted, agreeing to meet up in the gardens for lunch.

Adora had tried to convince Catra to accompany herself, Glimmer, and Mermista to the hot springs, but the feline waved her off. Cats and water just didn’t mix, she stated with a wink before yawning. She’d much rather catch up on some missing sleep, agreeing to meet them in the gardens later before heading off to find a place to nap.

Adora understood. The nightmares had died off for the time being, and Catra did look better for it, but she had admitted to Adora the other night that sleep still alluded her sometimes. Adora just hoped this vacation was exactly the kind of healing her friend needed. That they all needed to get over this post-war slump.

By noon they had all gathered in the gardens for a small feast of various finger foods and tiny cupcakes, just for Entrapta. Afterwards they stuck around to enjoy the afternoon sun in the gardens.

Perfuma was showing Scorpia and Bow how to make flower crowns out of daisies while Mermista was using her powers to water the plants that needed it most. Spinnerella was providing the group with a cool gentle breeze to keep the heat at bay, Netossa lounging by her side and watching her girlfriend with nothing but love in her eyes.

No one was really talking aside from the occasional instruction from Perfuma or mutters from the cuddling couple; everyone content to just sit there and enjoy each other’s company on the first stress-free afternoon in a long while.

“Feels nice to just relax, yeah?” Glimmer asked to no one in particular. Several hums followed, no one wanting to break the quiet with long-winded chit chat. Thank the stars Sea Hawk was snoozing away in one of the lounge chairs, no doubt knowing he would otherwise be disturbing the peace with another one of his rousing shanties.

But speaking of napping…

“Hey Kitty! Enjoy the cat-nap?” Scorpia called across the garden.

Adora, who had been lying in the grass, propped herself up on her hands and turned to see their feline compatriot padding up to the group. Her mane was an even wilder mess than before her nap and she had sleep-lines across her cheek. She passed by Entrapta and gave the girl’s hair a gentle comb-through in lieu of greeting, sending a lazy nod at the others. She stopped just shy of Adora’s spot and took a moment to stretch, her joints popping and yawning so wide her fangs glinted on full display.

“I’m officially declaring naps to be a daily requirement,” she sighed out, crouching down beside Adora before she began gingerly licking her wrist, her other hand toying with her split ear out of habit. “Man, I wish we had naps back in the Horde. Everyone woulda been waaaay more chill.”

Scorpia laughed, nodding her assent. “Then by royal decree, naps for all!”

Frosta lifted her iced tea. “Here, here.”

Sea Hawk snorted as he was startled awake by the sound.

Everyone broke into private murmurings after that. Adora gently nudged Catra with her shoulder, garnering a side-eyed glance and a smile. “Hey Adora.”

“Hey to you too, sleepy bones. I’ve barely seen you since we got here. Were you napping this whole time?”

“Not the whole time. I’ve just been lounging about mostly. Napping, exploring, avoiding your annoying presence, the usual.” Catra held the nonplussed look for all of five seconds before Adora’s pout broke her façade and she cackled. “I’m kidding, geez! You know I can tolerate your annoying presence.”

Adora rolled her eyes and shoved Catra into the patch of flowers beside them. “Jerk.”

However, when she landed something suddenly shot up from the flowers. It was brightly colored and had teeny little wings. It passed startingly close to Adora’s face before flapping daintily away.

“What is that?” she asked, watching the critter dance through the air, barely registering Catra tensing up beside her, tail lashing.

Glimmer sat up from where she had her head in Bow’s lap, giving them both a confused look. “The butterfly?”

“Wait, _that’s_ a butterfly?”

“Yeah?”

“Huh. They look like the things Madam Razz had flying around her head, but this one’s orange.”

“I think that one’s a monarch butterfly. They’re pretty common around here, but I’m guessing the Fright Zone doesn’t have too many of those?”

Adora shook her head. “Nope. Rats, plenty. But butterflies, no…”

Something felt off. Adora glanced over at Catra who was stuck in a crouched position, her dual colored eyes wide and dilated. She was watching the butterfly with intense focus, wiggling back and forth ever so slightly before suddenly stopping. “Uh, Catra? You- whoa!”

One second she was statuesque and unmoving, and in the next Catra pounced with a loud “mrrp!”. She leapt through the air with her hands outstretched only to miss the butterfly by a hair and tumbling headlong into the patch of peonies Mermista had just watered. She popped back up a second later, petals and dirt littering her hair and face, but she paid no heed and was soon springing through the gardens as more and more butterflies took to the air.

Laughter scattered through the group at the sight with Glimmer and Mermista cackling the hardest. “Oh man, this is priceless! I wish I could capture this moment for later,” the mergirl said as she caught her breath, Glimmer nodding and rubbing the tears from her eyes.

“I mean I thought the catnip incident was funny, but this is hysterical! Does she do this stuff all the time? Adora. Uh, Adora?”

But Adora wasn’t listening. Instead she was watching her childhood friend like she hadn’t seen her in a long time.

Back in the Horde when they were too young to begin their training Catra and Adora used to play around in the many twisting halls of the training facility, avoiding their chores and the older officers. There wasn’t much in the way of toys for the younger recruits, they simply made do with a few spare batons and their imagination.

But Adora could recall a time when the two of them had been poking around in some discarded tech and the light from the hall had caught just right against a piece of metal Adora had been holding, making a spotlight shine on the floor. Catra had reacted the same way—all tensed up, twitching tail, wide eyed—and as soon as the light moved she had jumped to catch it between her tiny claws, only to come away very confused when there was nothing there.

They lost track of time playing with the metal piece. Adora would shine the light this way and that and Catra would chase after it, getting increasingly upset whenever Adora moved it too fast for her to get it. Shadow Weaver had caught them hours later and confiscated the metal before scolding the both of them, Catra much more harshly, and gave them extra chores as punishment.

Just then Catra jumped and caught a butterfly between her hands. She landed in a crouch, her attention solely on her cupped hands, and tried to peer inside. When she opened her palms fully the orange critter floated away, leaving a fascinated feline behind. She looked so young and soft in that moment that Adora couldn’t help but smile. They never did get around to playing around like they did that day, but Adora never forgot the sheer uninhibited joy on her friends face from that day. And now, after so long without seeing it, the sight of Catra unrestrained and finally happy made her stomach swoop unexpectedly.

“Ugh, look at that dopey grin on her face. She can’t even hear us.”

“I got this. ADORA!”

Adora was finally pulled out of her memory trip by Glimmer’s shout. “Huh? Oh sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I just… got distracted.” Glimmer and Mermista looked at each other and shared a smirk, but Adora couldn’t decipher what it was they were silently communicating to each other.

Perfuma cooed at the butterflies gently flapped around her head. “Oh I just love butterflies! It reminds me so much of the migrations we see pass through Plumeria in the springtime. It’s such a beautiful sight, especially when the Hyacinths are in bloom, and sometimes if the weather is perfect the kingdom sits in harmony to watch the migration. It’s very enriching.”

“I think being the Princess of Nature may make you a tad biased on the subject,” Frosta said, waving a stray butterfly away with a small snow flurry.

Perfuma sighed dreamily. “Can’t help it. Plumeria thrives in the springtime. With the warming weather, the rebirth of plant and wild life, spring is like a breath of fresh air for us. I can’t help but get that good feeling in my belly when it comes back around.”

Bow smiled, placing his finished daisy crown on Glimmer’s head. “Like butterflies in your stomach kind of good?”

Perfuma nodded cheerily, magically creating a flower crown for Bow's head. "Exactly."

Adora gaped. “Wait, you actually _eat them?_ ”

Bow threw his head back laughing while Glimmer shook her head in exasperation. “No, Adora. It’s an expression.”

“Butterflies in your stomach is just a way of describing the feeling you get in your stomach when you’re like insanely happy because of something,” Bow supplied helpfully, gently wrapping his arm around Glimmer’s shoulders and pulling her into his side. Glimmer nudged him with a playful smile. “Or _someone_. Ya know?”

Something heavy landed in Adora’s lap, distracting her as Catra flopped down in exhaustion, breathing hard and purring in little hiccups. Adora chuckled at the content expression on the other girl’s face, gently combing her fingers through her wild hair and making Catra purr even harder before eventually dozing off. Her stomach swooped once more.

“Yeah,” Adora said, sitting back to enjoy the warmth of the suns in the sky and the cat in her lap. “I think I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but finals are officially over so now I get to (hopefully) update more frequently. Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't really read through this one since it's been a hassle to finish. Thanks for all the kudos and comments! See ya next time.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. This one got a little out of hand. I've already got another chapter in the works and more planned, but I'm always up for suggestions and ideas depending on what people want to read. Cool? Cool.


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